HARO for SEO: 5 Ways to Get Featured in High-Authority Publications

Getting noticed online can be tough, especially for businesses that have little experience with SEO and outreach. One powerful yet often overlooked tool for improving your online visibility is HARO (Help A Reporter Out).

HARO connects businesses and industry experts with journalists from reputable, high-authority publications looking for expert insights, quotes, or stories. Being featured in these prominent outlets can boost your credibility and significantly enhance your SEO.

When your business is mentioned or featured on a high-authority website, search engines like Google recognise your site as more trustworthy and relevant. This can lead to higher rankings in search results, increased organic traffic, and greater brand awareness.

In this article, we’ll explore exactly how HARO works and provide practical tips for how you can use it effectively.

Let’s dive in:

What is HARO and how does it work?

HARO is a platform that connects journalists with expert sources. By responding to queries from journalists, businesses can gain high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites, with the goal of boosting their search rankings. As a result, HARO can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to improve their SEO, gain media coverage, and establish authority in their industry.

The process begins with journalists from well-known publications submitting requests for expert insights, data, or commentary on various topics. These queries are then compiled into three daily emails and sent to HARO subscribers.

Businesses can review these requests and respond (with answers that should be well-crafted and authoritative, aligning with their expertise). If a journalist selects your response, they may

include it in their article along with a mention of your business, often with a valuable backlink to your company’s website.

When used consistently, HARO can help businesses gain media exposure, establish thought leadership, and improve their SEO through authoritative backlinks. It is both a cost-effective and organic way to enhance online visibility; plus, building good relationships with journalists and media outlets will make it easier to secure future coverage without pitching from point zero.

5 ways to get featured in high-authority publications

So, now you have an idea of how HARO works, it’s time to explore how you can use it strategically. The following approaches are practical ways you can use HARO to get your business featured in publications with high authority:

1. Offer expert insights and unique angles

Journalists are not looking for generic answers; they want expert insights that add depth, credibility, and a fresh perspective to their stories.

When responding to HARO queries, it’s essential to showcase your expertise in a way that makes your response stand out. Instead of providing surface-level answers, offer specific data, real-world examples, or unique angles that journalists may not have considered.

For instance, if you own a sustainable fashion brand and a journalist is writing about eco-friendly materials, organic cotton wouldn’t be the only fabric you’d mention. Instead, you would likely discuss lesser-known fabrics such as biodegradable textiles, lab-grown leather, or upcycled ocean plastics, and how these materials relate to the issue of sustainability. You would discuss the challenges and benefits of using these materials, as this would give your business greater credibility and make your response more compelling.

So, make sure you demonstrate your expertise, whatever that may be. Other insights you could share may come from industry trends, future predictions, or shifts in consumer behaviour. These could only come from an expert in their field, so capitalise on what you know.

If you can position yourself as a forward-thinking authority in your field, journalists will be more likely to quote you, and they might even reach out directly in the future for further contributions! Don’t forget to include your credentials, including a link to your website and any past media mentions.

2. Focus on relevant requests only

HARO sends out a high volume of queries every day, but not every request will be a good fit for your business. Instead of responding to as many as possible, take a targeted approach by focusing only on those that directly align with your expertise and industry.

Journalists are looking for authoritative sources, so if your response lacks depth or credibility in the given topic, it’s unlikely to be selected. Prioritising quality over quantity ensures that the time and effort you invest in crafting a response have a higher chance of success.

For example, if you run a digital marketing agency, it may be tempting to respond to a broad range of business-related queries. However, responding to topics outside your core expertise (such as HR or general entrepreneurship) may not be the best use of your resources. Instead, focusing on requests related to SEO, social media strategies, PPC advertising, or content marketing will increase your chances of being featured in authoritative publications that align with your brand.

Additionally, responding selectively helps you maintain a strong reputation with journalists. If your responses consistently provide high-value, well-informed insights within your area of expertise, journalists will start recognising your name and may even reach out directly for future contributions.

On the other hand, sending off-topic or weak responses could dilute your credibility and make journalists less likely to take your more relevant pitches seriously.

3. Optimise your bio and website for journalists

Even if a journalist is interested in your HARO response, they may do a quick background check before featuring you. Your website and LinkedIn profile serve as your digital credibility markers, helping journalists assess whether you’re a legitimate expert worth quoting. To maximise your chances of being featured, ensure that both your website and professional profiles are optimised to make a strong first impression:

• Give your website a compelling « About » page that highlights your expertise, background, and achievements.
• Make sure your contact details are easy to find on your website (e.g., having a dedicated « Press » or « Contact » page with a simple contact form or a professional email address).
• If you’ve been featured in other articles, podcasts, or interviews, create a section on your website that compiles these appearances.
• Maintain a professional and updated blog (if applicable). This can reinforce your expertise and provide journalists with additional insights into your knowledge base.
• Your LinkedIn headline should clearly state your area of expertise, experience, key achievements, and what makes you an authority in your field.
• Use a high-quality and professional profile picture on any social media platform and customise your LinkedIn banner with your brand’s logo or a tagline.

When your website and LinkedIn profile are fully optimised, you may find that journalists start reaching out to you directly, even beyond HARO.

4. Establish and maintain relationships

HARO also offers businesses the opportunity to build long-term relationships with journalists and media professionals.

When a journalist includes your insights in their article, you should take the extra step to express gratitude. A simple thank-you email or message on LinkedIn can go a long way in leaving a positive impression. Rather than seeing HARO as a transactional process, think of it as a way to network with key industry voices who can provide recurring media opportunities for your business. Building relationships with journalists increases the likelihood that they will remember you for future articles, especially if you’ve provided high-quality and insightful contributions.

Staying connected on social media platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn allows you to engage with their work and nurture a professional rapport. Over time, journalists may even reach out to you directly when they need a source in your area of expertise, giving you exclusive opportunities that aren’t listed on HARO.

When interacting with HARO journalists, make sure you address them by name – this sounds simple, but it will distinguish your pitches or messages from other cold ones that are clearly sent out in bulk. Engaging with journalists meaningfully will help you build a foundation for long-term visibility in the media and success for your site in the SERPs.

5. Respond quickly and concisely

Journalists often work under tight deadlines, which means they don’t have the time to sift through lengthy and overly detailed responses. The faster you respond to a HARO query, the higher your chances of being considered, as many journalists operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Since they often receive dozens (if not hundreds) of pitches for a single request, your response needs to stand out by being both timely and to the point.

As soon as you receive a HARO email, scan the queries and identify those most relevant to your expertise. Once you’ve chosen a query to respond to, act quickly without sacrificing quality. A well-structured response should include a clear and direct answer to the journalist’s question, avoiding fluff or unnecessary details. If the query asks for a specific insight, don’t provide general information – get straight to the key points that directly address the request.

Top tip: Journalists prefer ready-to-use quotes, so make your response quotable by keeping it crisp and professional.

When crafting your pitch, start with a short introduction that establishes your credibility, followed by your response in a way that is informative, concise, and easy to digest. If applicable, you can include a one-sentence data point, a statistic, or a brief example to strengthen your response, but avoid overwhelming the journalist with excessive information.

Additionally, always include your name, job title, company name, and website at the end of your response so the journalist has everything they need to credit you properly. Some journalists may follow up with additional questions, so make sure to monitor your email and be responsive if they need further clarification.

Common mistakes businesses make when using HARO

Before we wrap up this article, we want to leave you with some common mistakes you might almost make. Consider the following so you can approach your HARO strategy with the best start:

• Some businesses may send pitches that are generic or overly promotional, but journalists don’t want a sales pitch. Prioritise giving thoughtful and useful answers.
• Some businesses may ignore submission deadlines and send responses slightly too late. In the HARO world, this won’t be forgiven – journalists work on tight schedules and take their deadlines seriously.
• Failing to proofread responses is common because businesses feel they are in a rush or that their first message isn’t as important as the ‘final cut’. This isn’t the case. The first response you send HARO journalists must be complete and ready to go.
• Journalists are more likely to use quotes that have supporting evidence, but many businesses fail to provide this. Don’t forget the power of data, examples, or links to evidence.

Targeting high-authority publications

High-authority publications differ from other media outlets because they have established credibility, large readerships, and strong SEO value. These publications (such as major news websites, industry-leading blogs, and well-known magazines) often rank highly in search results and have strict editorial standards.

Getting featured in these publications will boost your brand’s trustworthiness and can significantly improve your site’s domain authority through valuable backlinks – more so than smaller blogs. Unlike smaller niche blogs or local websites, high-authority publications receive a flood of pitches daily, making the competition much fiercer.

To target them effectively, businesses should focus on offering unique insights, data-backed claims, and clear industry expertise. You should consider tailoring your pitch to the publication’s audience, ensuring your insights align with their tone and focus.

Building relationships with journalists and consistently providing high-value contributions increases your chances of being featured. Prioritise quality over quantity; fewer but stronger placements in top-tier media outlets are more impactful than many lower-quality mentions.

As long as you approach HARO with a mindset that prioritises quality, accuracy, and urgency, you won’t go far wrong. While you can start your strategy gently, with just a few of our tips, the advice in this article should be adhered to when aiming for those higher-end publications, as the playing field is much more difficult.

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